The Negotiation
by jetmound
Summary: Well Ruby goes to make her pitch will she win, lose or draw Takes place before Last Bet so it is a prequel please enjoy , comments , qestions , reviews all welcome


The Negotiation

I stood in front of the desk. I stood in front of _his_ desk, with my fingers knit together.

Well, it could be called it a desk.

You could probably land a Sport Bulldog on it and have room to spare.

Truth be told, there were two other desks in the office. Those, not nearly as monstrous, had been abandoned at the first hint of the small tornado whirling through the office doors. One whirling dervish in and two scampering office workers out, what a stunning display of loyalty. He couldn't have been more disappointed.

There was no hope for their future employment, but that was not of my business.

There he sat. Solid, quiet, resolute. Still I could see in his face that I had just ruined his day. It' was just too bad, he seemed to realize then that it just was not going to get any better.

Cracking his knuckles, his voice filled the available space.

"So, to what do I owe this displeasure? Speak before I have you removed and disposed of even if is to the displeasure of my youngest daughter and heir."

Wow chilly.

The doors were open, and I decided that they needed closing. We needed a bit of privacy for what was about to happen. In one swift move I closed them and returned to my place standing before him. As usual a trail of rose petals marked my path across the floor.

He didn't seem to care.

Clearing my throat I grinned at the man. "First of all, good morning to you, Sir! Secondly, your security , I've come to ask for your blessing, for your daughter Weiss's hand in marriage. My name is Ruby Rose "

There that summed up everything. I couldn't have been more proud of myself His face however, was telling a different story. He was all but crimson or was it carmine? With his anger rising, the temperature of the room was dropping dramatically.

So there was some family resemblance there after all.

Four years of experience with Weiss made this easy to handle. Standing there before him, my smile never wavered and I addressed him simply.

"Mr Schnee, I can make your image and the company stronger than ever. I can boost profits, increase public awareness and acceptance. I alone can bring your daughter closer to you and I can even and provide what you want most of all -a suitable heir to carry on the Schnee bloodline."

He moved then. Slow and wicked, it was like watching the mercury pour from a beaker. His pale hands touched the desktop, silver white ice spreading from his finger tips towards me. Matching his stance I took the challenge. Flattening my fingers to the desk I let the ice embrace them. The hoarfrost crept over my hands spreading almost to my wrists. I took this first attack as any suitor worth their crystal. It wasn't even that bad, Weiss had made it much colder on many occasions.

I took it head on. I didn't flinch away. He leaned in closer, meeting my gaze. He was stern, asture; hoping I would back down. I would not. I wouldn't crumble, I could not crumble. I couldn't fail here. This was the only way I would have my beloved, for eternity.

Crawling along my limbs, moving soft and slow like a Beowolf before letting loose like a Goliath. Half the valley shuddered in response. His reply brought frost down like snowflakes around us.

" You presumptuous, ignorant-" He spat, his hands curling into fists "-dull-witted, irritating, arrogant fool." He heaved a breath and spat at me."You **dolt**!"

At those words warmth spread through my soul. As it did the frost and cold just melted away. I was unable to smother the smile playing at my lips. It was just one more thing that she'd gotten from him, Her father.

" _You dirty dust digger, you!"_

The look on his face was one of angry confusion. My hands were free of their cold embrace and I stood facing him, when other suitors would have run,crumpled, or begged. I wasn't one of those and it infuriated him. I felt for him, lost without knowledge, blanketed in inevitability.

"I see where she gets it now." I didn't laugh, but there was no way to kill the joy in my heart. "It might be an insult to you, but it's " _our_ term of endearment. Weiss and I, we are ready to go forward with our lives and we want you to be apart of it.

The last bit seemed to remind the man, that there was more to this than just an uninvited guest.

"So, what do you say? Let's see what we can negotiate. I mean you'd never be able to find some proper stuffed shirt that Weiss would accept or who would accept her. Our darling Weiss has very specific wants and needs. No suitor you'd accept would even stand a chance of making her happy."

And that was the most important thing, her happiness.

"You're going to have to face it, Mr. Schnee. Weiss, your daughter is a lesbian.

A frown crossed his face and he stared back just as cold as the frost on the desk.

" Weiss, you useless lesbian " He growled.

Papa Schnee's eyes were the same blue as his daughter's and in those orbs there seemed a spark of dust just about to ignite.

"She's _my_ useless lesbian" I corrected him.

And with that, the fuse was lit. His face contorted in anger and exploded into a fury rarely seen by man or faunus. The roar that escaped his mouth could have put a dust factory to shame, wind whipping as the floor began to rumble. Articles on all desks became deadly fly projectiles. With a sweep of his arm Papa Schnee cast the rest of the things from his own. Spiralling away as if pitched by ninjas; pens, paperweights and folders clattered to the walls and floor. Some desk decoration of the Schnee family logo swung mere whisker's breadth from my left eye as it did a globe of Remnant smashed into the wall wide window. Cracks ran up along its surface almost meeting the ceiling which had suffered an assault of pylon awards. The bits of surviving paper made it look like a small blizzard had descended upon us.

I didn't move.

Pale heavy fists slammed into the desk. The forceful impact drove splinters from the surface, jagged lines running across the elegant wood. I could hear the small bones of his hand break. As he drew away splits formed along the sides of the desk and one of the legs broke away falling to the floor.

Still as flushed and red, he snapped out. "Chair! "

Moments later, a chair was brought in and set before the wrecked desk. It's bearer quaked with each step and backpedaled from the room the moment his task was complete.

Neither of us spared him a backwards glance, but Schnee stared me down.

"SIT."

As casually as I could manage I took my seat. All around us the fallout drifted down. The once elegant room was now coated in a healthy layer of dust, plaster dust, sawdust, some paper dust and oh probably even some _Dust_ dust as well.

Something tickled along my face. Reaching up to wipe the skin, my fingers came away red.

I fingered the wound. A simple scar, one matching my beloved Weiss's. I found myself smiling.

Damn, I am good!

There was a breathe of air. I could feel the slightest movement. Four years of training and watching. Four years of experience. I couldn't ignore what my senses were screaming at me.

Someone was coming, good thing I brought my sweetie with me .

Now to find out who was out for my blood. I wondered if Mr. Schnee had planned on disposing of me as promised, but the look on his face was actually surprise. Looming into my face he demanded to know what I had done. His instincts were above average, not quite as refined as a hunter's but still good.

Three explosions sounded rapid fire from the North gate. That wasn't good. It was the same way I'd snuck in. Had someone followed me?

As if.

So they did not follow me but found the same breach I did.

And they were using firepower instead of speed.

Mr. Schnee so totally needed to work on his security.

Still I had the advantage.

Speed, it's a killer. Pure, efficient and just like lightening. I was all about that. Hot, nasty blinding killing speed. There were three of them. I could tell from the way they moved. Fast enough to be a threat, but certainly not as a team.

Alarms began to ring and there were flashing lights, and this seemed to herald the appearance of Papa Schnee's bodyguards. Four stepped into the room, eyeing me suspiciously. I shrugged and the men began to usher the man away from the window. He'd taken a few steps when the glass shattered inward from the force of four sniper rounds.

Speed, it's a killer. I intercepted three of the shots with my Rose, the fourth was was caught by an unlucky guard. The bullet struck him in the chest shattering both his armor and his heart at the same time.

I called for the men to stop, but the first guard out the door took the brunt of the blast. He was knocked unconscious while his counterpart was badly dazed. The three assassins made their appearance there. The second one took out the dazed guard, dropping him to the floor without a backwards glance.

I fired two shots knocking him into the black suited man behind him. As I worked the third of Schnee's protectors was blocking the first assassin from his target. It was just as I'd been taught in lessons from leadership and tactics. Three opponents, two guards, and one target. I wasn't worried about those odds.

Whirling my darling Rose, I drove the sharp butt into the thigh of the closest opponent. He howled in agony, and this allowed Mr. Guard to shoot him three times. He slumped and I moved on with a quick salute. The second assassin began whipping sharp blades towards their target. Hooking the edge of my Rose over his arm I fired at the third assassin. There was a satisfying crunch as the recoil snapped his arm and shoulder which rendered him impotent

"We have a huntress."

It was the only warning they got before I was moving, firing rapid rounds into the treeline. I blocked any view of the target watching from the shattered remains of the window. Quicker than I expected came the all clear and there was the smell of victory the one I loathed oh so very much. The acrid scent of blood and roses.

Brushing dust from my shoulders I faced Papa Schnee. We had been in the middle of a conversation after all.

"So, will you now accept me as a suitable suitor for your daughter's hand?"

looked at me and drew himself up to his full height. glass and debris scattering from his formerly impeccable suit.

"SIT."

We both looked to where the chair had been but it, along with the majority of the room had been destroyed. I couldn't resist the smile pulling at the corners of my lips.

"Chair " he barked once again.

This time there was a bit longer of a wait as there were men scuttling about removing bodies and clearing the mess of the floor. Though when I finally sat, it was just us and the shattered remains of what used to be an office. Even the door hung crookedly where it had been shut.

"Just what do you think you can offer my company? You have no standing, no wealth, and no history. You have no influence, you have nothing. You are as common as the leaves of the forest, as the grains of sand on the beach "

" I am Ruby Rose. Common right now as you so claim, but I offer you the future. You want to use your daughter to merge with a company to make a profit. Still what if you could take the grains of sand and get them to buy your dust? What if the leaves would all blow your way and you would have not to share the profit?

My team is set to finish at the top of class. You can see it for yourself. Our records speak for themselves.

We are the leaders of the future, and that future will include an heir with not only snow white hair but silver eyes as well. You'd have the best of both worlds.

I can make the world look at your company and you as the new ideal. We know the smaller companies are wooing the new hunter teams and using them to back their sales, making profit.

This is cutting into your Bottom line. So get in the first shot.

Who better than the ' _Beacon Bastards_ ' or rather 'Beacon Bitches ' as we have been dubbed? Just who would be better than us to lead the SDC into the future?

Just think of it? Minimal effort and maximum gain. We use your dust, your crystals. We win, you win and your daughter wins. "

The grin was back. "So shall we **negotiate**?!"

The terms came in a rush after, Schnee's voice clipped and rough. A man was at her side dictating as the man spoke. She hadn't even known he'd stepped into the room.

 _First, you would spend time as an active board member and employee of the SDC: with the appropriate rates of_ _employee compensation_ _, wages and salaries_

 _benefits paid leave supplemental pay insurance health benefits retirement and savings and contributions._

 _This is required for your duties to the Company and the Family._

 _You will be allowed an appropriate amount of time for your honeymoon. A month long period will be set aside . You will be expected to submit summary reports on the hunts, you do participate in during this time, as is required for newly licensed teams and hunters ._

 _At all times you will represent the brightest and best_ _of both hunters and the Corporation both in decorum and dignity_

 _You will have to exceed above and beyond the normal standards but that is a given._

 _Failure to do so will be viewed as a possible breach of contract_

 _After the hunting cycle, you must attend three months of uninterrupted Company operations: Board meetings and whatever else the CEO decides is suitable for you, before you can go on another grimm hunt._

 _You will have the title Atlas Adjunct Executive Administrator during your time with the company before taking your position as heiress. The title of heiress will remain yours for all public releases_

 _Failure to do so will be seen as a possible breach of contract_

 _You will be allowed to wear your huntress gear on a daily basis unless other wardrobe is required for the duties set forth by the CEO ,this includes your personal weapon._

 _Failure to do so will be viewed as a possible breach of contract_

 _After the end of this hunting cycle, you will attend three months uninterrupted Company operations: Board meetings and whatever else the CEO decides is suitable for you, before you return to another hunt cycle._

 _After that, you will have one month to hunt, before returning to the Company for another six months to do what is required."_

 _Failure to do so will be viewed as a possible breach of contract._

 _You are not stay at the White Castle while hunting, but it will be allowed when you're working with the Company in Atlas. For the time, Patch and Vale will be considered home base, when hunting_

 _That will be until semi-retirement. At which point you will be expected to either sire or bear an offspring._

 _Any method you choose will be allowed but the offspring will/must share your DNA genetic coding to the_ _mitochondria, or mtDNA._

 _Failure to do so will be viewed as a possible breach of contract._

 _During your time of pregnancy you will report to all doctors appointments , tests and will maintain proper prenatal care to maintain the health of the fetus_

 _Eighteen months after the birth of the offspring you may return to a hunt cycle but only at level one and within one hour of major medical facilities and no solo hunts and any hunts will be with another hunter preferably with members of Teams RWBY, JNPR, or CVFY_

 _Failure to do so will be viewed as a possible breach of contract_

It seemed all very straight forward. Do as ordered. Smile here. I could bear it if it was for her.

I nodded my agreement and the man was shuffling paperwork as Mr. Schnee began to approach.

"Very well, Ms Rose. We are to have an accord. I expect you to sell this to my daughter. Get her to agree, if you can. You are far more important to her than I am."

I didn't remark on this, even if I knew it to be true. I was instead focused on what I'd done. I had survived and succeeded!

Mr Schnee placed his left hand on my shoulder and my right over my own. Shaking it firmly as he pressed his aura forward nearly causing frost nip to my hand and shoulder. I winced in surprise, but didn't move.

"If you can, perhaps you would think about working for Me. Your skills meet and exceed what I was lead to believe a simple soul could posses."

As I marched out of the negotiation, I brushed the ice crystals from my clothes and laughed to myself. Just now I could see where Weiss got it from.

Dust demons, he had to have the last word!


End file.
